Needle for warp knitting machines



NEEDLE FOR WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1968 INVENTORS HARRY GUNTER SCHUBERT WERNER WALTHER GOTTSMANN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,541,813 NEEDLE FOR WARP KNITTING MACHINES Harry Giinter Schubert and Werner Walther Gottsmann,

Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany, assignors to VEB Wirkmaschinenbau Limbach-Oberfrohna, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany Filed Nov. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 773,755

Int. Cl. DlMb 23/00 US. CI. 66-86 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a needle for warp knitting machines, made of fiat sheet steel. More particularly, the invention relates to such a needle with a hole and a recess penetrated by lead.

Prior art With the heretofore known such needle leads, the

recess penertated by the lead performs the function of giving the needle the necessary support. However, the recess forms an axis of rotation for the forces acting upon the hole of the needle. Therefore, the needle in addition to being penetrated by the lead in the above mentioned recess is completely surrounded at the foot of the needle with lead, below the recess. In view of the lead surrounding the entire foot portion of the needle, the lead has a substantial thickness, up to the lower edge of the lead. The result is that, in order to prevent the warp threads of the individual laying rails extending at a relatively steep or acute angle, with the lead surrounding the needle, from touching the lead, the needles have a long shank extending downwardly from the lead. This in turn brings about that the needles, once they are imbedded in the lead, have an insuflicient lateral stability. As a direct consequence of the above described features of these needles, including their leads, needles of flat sheet steel have not been employed on a large scale in warp knitting machines, despite other economical advantages.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a needle lead, which will overcome the abovementioned disadvantages of the prior art lead.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a needle lead, in which the lateral stability of the needles connected thereto is increased by shortening the shank without interfering with the warp threads at the lower edge of the lead.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a needle such as a thread guide assembly of a warp knitting machine, including their lead;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the needle assembly according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the needle assembly as seen in direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above mentioned objects have been realized, in accordance with the present invention by providing the ice recess of the needle adjacent the lower edge of the lead and by providing the needle above this recess with an extension having a second recess also penetrated by the lead.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The combination of a needle such as a thread guide and a setting such as made from lead shown in FIG. 1 comprises a needle 1 made of sheet steel and provided with a recess 3- adjacent the lower edge of the setting such as lead 2. This recess 3 is cylindrical. Needle 1 has an extension 4 in the vicinity of recess 3, which extension is equipped with a second recess 5'. The extension ends in a tongue 6 so that the second recess 5 is formed by the upper edge 7 of the extension and the longitudinal edge 8 of tongue 6. Both recesses 3 and 5 are penetrated by lead and form a secure support and hold of the needle in the lead.

The lead arranged between adjacent needles decreases in width in the manner of a wedge in downward direction at the upper portion of the needles so that a space 9 is created between the needles into which the warp thread 10 can enter the eyelet 11 of the needle unimpededly although the lower edge of the lead 2 extends very far towards the head 12 of the needle.

The setting 2 may be made completely of lead or another meltable material, in a manner well-known in the art or it may be provided with small holding plates 13, as shown in FIG. 1. The plate 13 extends with its lower portion 14 into the second recess 5. When the needle is subjected to a load in a plane transverse to the row of needles, the needle rests on one hand with its upper edge 7 supported by the end face 15 of plate 13 and in the opposite direction with its longitudinal edge 8 supported by the longitudinal surface 16 of plate 13.

In order to obtain the most favorable conditions as far as proper seating and fit and support of the needle in the lead is concerned and the most favorable running conditions for the warp threads, the eyelet 11 and the two recesses 3 and 5 are preferably arranged in one straight line which forms an obtuse angle with the holding plate 13, as evident from FIG. 1.

The solution advanced by the present invention avoids the necessity for surrounding the needles on all sides with lead at the lower edge of the lead at least, since the necessary connection of the needles is effected at the second recess penetrated by the lead. The lower edge of the lead, therefore, can be very narrow in accordance with the recess, which in turn makes it possible to decrease the width of the lead between the needles at least at the top portion thereof and to utilize the space formed between the needles for guiding the warp thread. This in turn will make it possible to move the lower edge of the lead very close to the needle head without impeding the movement of the warp threads. The thus formed short shank of the needle has a high lateral stability. Furthermore, the deviations or irregularities of such needles of sheet steel, as to form or location, are so small in view of the shortness of the shank that the heretofore necessary straightening and aligning of the needles set in lead can be partially or completely eliminated.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown in the drawing, the invention is not limited thereto, but only by the scope of the attached claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a thread guide needle for use in a warp knitting machine, and a needle holder comprising meltable material, said needle being attached at one of its ends to said holder at an angle thereto and having, adjacent its opposite end, a first recess receiving a portion of said meltable material, said needle further having an extension above said first recess and a second recess in said extension also receiving a portion of said material, a portion of said holder having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section uniformly tapering off toward said one end of said needle, whereby one longitudinal side of said needle is projected further than the opposite longitudinal side from said holder.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said extension comprises a tongue at least on one side of said needle, said second recess being flanked by the upper edge of said extension and that longitudinal edge of said tongue which faces said upper edge.

3. The combination of claim 1, which includes a holding plate having a lower portion extending into said second recess and held therein by said meltable material.

4 '4. The combination according to claim 3, in which said needle has an eyelet and in which the eyelet and said tWo recesses of said needle are arranged in one straight line forming a substantially obtuse angle with said plate.

References Cited RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner 

